Parents blame ‘littermate syndrome’ after pack of dogs ‘eat’ two-year-old daughter’s face

Californian mother says puppies ‘never given us any reason’ to suspect mauling

The parents of a two-year-old girl who sustained life-changing injuries in a puppy attack are warning others about so-called “littermate syndrome”, which could be to blame.

“Littermate syndrome” refers to a number of behavioural issues that occur in puppies beyond the age of eight to 10 weeks of age, when puppies are usually separated and placed in separate homes.

Writing in a GoFundMe fundraiser since the attack earlier this month, Felicity’s mother Michele Thomas said she was driving to a nearby supermarket in Onyx, California, when she was phoned by her husband.

Ms Thomas said her husband told her on the phone that Felicity was found unconscious underneath a Peach tree in the family garden with “possibly a missing eye” and other wounds.

She was rushed to a nearby hospital with “muscle damage to face, arms and legs will require many surgeries and a lengthy hospital stay,” her mother said. “Her ears will need multiple reconstruction surgeries as well”.

Ms Thomas added in another update that “The status of her left remains unknown” and that multiple more surgeries were required.

Ms Thomas said she believed “littermate syndrome” was behind the aggression shown by the four puppies, who had shown no signs of dangerous behaviour before the attack.

Felicity recovering in hospital, in a picture shared by her family (Michele Thomas / Linnea Hooker / GoFundMe)

“We had the puppies for three weeks and they’d never given us any reason to not allow our children to play with them,” Ms Thomas wrote.

“Littermate Syndrome can affect dogs of ANY BREED and often causes aggression in breeds that are not normally prone to aggressive behaviours,” she continued. “Even experienced guide dog puppy raisers aren’t expected to be able to prevent this issue from developing.”

Felicity’s mother said in a warning to other families that: “Unfortunately most people have never heard of littermate syndrome; only finding out about it while researching their dogs’ problematic behaviours or tragically finding out about it once it’s too late”.

The family were preparing for an upcoming party when Felicity apparently became separated from her siblings who “were all outside as a family doing yard work to prepare”, and had gone inside with their father.

The family’s four puppies, who were several weeks old, were also outside in the family garden where Felicity was apparently attacked, her mother explained on a GoFundMe.

Money raised will go towards Felicity’s healthcare, her family said.